Buckle



Dec. 17', 1963 M. A. BENEDICT 3,114,185

BUCKLE Filed April 25, 1962 3 INVENTOR MARIE A. BENEDICT AT TORNEY United tates Patent 3,114,185 BUCKLE Marie Augusta Benedict, Box 167, RR. 1, East Palatka, Fla. Filed Apr. 25, 1962, Ser. No. 190,094 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-74) This invention relates to buckles for use on belts, straps, tapes, sashes or the like and has for one of its objects the provision of a one-piece buckle, which can be composed of sheet metal, plastic, wire or other suitable material.

It is an object of the invention to provide a buckle of this kind which can be fitted upon a belt, strap or the like without requiring the use of sewing, riveting or similar fastening means; which can be easily adjusted on the belt, or can have the opposite ends of the belt adjusted through it to thereby fit the belt properly around the individual wearer.

It is an object of the invention to provide a buckle by which the ends of the belt engaged by the buckle can have hanging or dependent parts, thus providing for a decorative effect. It is another object of the invention to provide a buckle having a simplified means for attaching it to a belt or the like by the passage of the belt through slots and providing a means by which the buckle can be quickly and easily detached at any time for aflixa tion to another belt.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of a buckle in the form of a relatively flat, triangulated member having a central slot, open at one end and closed at its other, and with the closed end located at the apex of the member. The invention further contemplates the provision of a pair of side slots arranged at an angle to the central slot, which side slots have open ends at the opposite sides of the plate and have closed ends respective-ly located adjacent to the opposite side edges of the central slot. The belt is slidably adjustable through the several slots, the angular disposition of which tends to hold the belt from inadvertent slippage through the buckle, thus maintaining the belt in any desired adjusted position.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claim appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a belt, showing the improved buckle in position on the same;

PEG. 2 is a perspective view of the buckle;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the buckle, showing the two ends of the belt inserted through only the central slot thereof;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the buckle with the two ends of the belt extended through its central slot; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the buckle, showing the ends of the belt inserted through the central slot as well as through the two side slots.

The improved buckle, in the form shown in the draw ing, consists of a flat, triangulated member 1, which can be composed of metal or plastic or it can be a frame formed of wire and produced by any known wire-bending methods. Therefore, in herein referring to the memice her 1 as a plate it is to be understood that such term comprehends a member made according to any of the above means and of any suitable material.

The base or bottom edge of the body of the buckle is shown at 2, and the buckle is provided with lower side edge portions 3 and 4 which extend upwardly for a short distance at right angles to the lower edge 2 and then incline and converge to extend upwardly and angularly as shown at 5 and 6 to meet at the upper extremity of the buckle in an apex or point 7. The inclined side edge portions 5 and 6 are shown as being at a 45 degree angle in respect to the bottom edge 2, but the angularity of these edges might be varied.

Extending upwardly from the bottom edge 2 and terminating in a closed end at a point near the apex 7 is an elongated central slot 8 through which the two ends 9 and 1% of a belt, strap, sash or the like shown at 11, are passed when using the buckle on the belt. The central slot 8 is open at the bottom edge 2 so that said belt ends are easily entered through said slot.

Extending inwardly from the opposite side edges of the buckle are side slots indicated respectively at 12 and 13. The outer or open ends of these side slots are located at substantially the points of intersection of the inclined or angular edge portions 5 and 6 with the right angle edge portions 3 and 4. The inner ends of the side slots 12 and 13 are located outwardly of and spaced away from the opposite side edges of the central slot 8.

It will be noted from the foregoing, that the buckle consists of a flat element of triangulated formation and in one piece, provided with a central slot and having two oppositely-opening side slots I12 and 13, the latter slots extending parallel to the lower edge of the body of the buckle. While the slots 12 and 13 are shown as being at right angles to the central slot 8, the slots 12 and 13 can, if desired, be arranged at a different angle.

In applying the buckle to the belt 11 to cause it to be fitted thereon as shown in FIG. 1, the two ends 9 and 10 of the belt are first passed through the central slot 8 from the rear and extending forwardly through said slot substantially as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The belt-ends 9 and 10 are then brought upwardly over the inclined edges 5 and 6 to the back of the buckle and are then passed forwardly through the side slots 12 and 13 and permitted to hang downwardly therefrom on the outside of the buckle in the manner of the belt-end 10 in FIG. 5 and as both belt-ends are shown in FIG. 1. The manner in which the two belt-ends extend through the several slots is such as to provide a bight in each of the belt-ends and to prevent the belt-ends from being pulled through or out of the slots by any pull or strain imposed on the belt during its normal wear. The adjustment of the belt around the wearer is secured by merely drawing the ends of the belt through the slots in the buckle to the required extent to secure the desired size of the belt required [for individual wear.

The single-piece construction of the buckle enables the same to last indefinitely; it can be made and sold very economically, and its ease of attachment and adjustment enables it to be used with complete satisfaction and changed from one belt, strap or sash to another without requiring sewing or other fastening elements to attach it to the belt.

Having thus described a single embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming Within the scope of the annexed claim.

What I claim is:

A buckle consisting of a fiat triangular member having a bottom edge and inclined converging side edges meeting in an apex at the top of the buckle, the buckle having a central slot extending from its bottom edge and open thereat and terminating in a closed end adjacent to the apex, the buckle having a pair of slots extending respectively inwardly from the opposite inclined side edges,

each of the latter slots having a closed end located adjacent to the central slot, and a belt having ends extending forwardly through the central slot, then extending angularly over the inclined side edges and passing around the back of the buckle and extending forwardly through the side slots.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

